


a cataclysmic chain of events

by Anonymous



Category: UP10TION, X1 (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Mystery, Post-Apocalypse, a little bit of college au, and pain, nonlinear storytelling, then a lot of sci fi and outer space
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-31
Updated: 2019-12-31
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:22:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22050997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: The Earth in ruins, humanity sought refuge in the stars. They embarked on ships that traveled throughout the galaxy, towards their destination of a planet where they would start anew.While their bodies slept in cryogenic pods, their minds were somewhere else. Until reaching the destined planet, they lived in a technologically engineered world— all within their minds.All seemed well. Or as well as things could be in such circumstances.Until Seungyoun started to realize that things in that artificial world were... strange.A lotstranger than they should be.
Relationships: Cho Seungyeon | Seungyoun/Lee Hangyul, Kim Wooseok | Wooshin/Lee Jinhyuk
Comments: 2
Kudos: 14
Collections: Anonymous, Midnight Stories 2019 Fanfic Collection





	a cataclysmic chain of events

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To get into the mood of the story, I recommend listening to the first 1 and a half minute of [twenty one pilot's song "Implicit Demand for Proof".](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfrXmKg5xKw)
> 
> ____
> 
> This is quite a long ride, so get ready! :)

**_Log Date:_ ** **_  
_** **_Year X101_ **

Seungyoun woke up to a familiar and comfortable warmth in his arms.

It was a reassuring warmth. And so, he woke up with a smile.

Hangyul was still fast asleep, nuzzled against Seungyoun’s chest. The younger man had always been a heavy sleeper, and it took a great effort to wake him up.

It was Hangyul’s peaceful sleeping face, the comfortable bed with its blankets, and the soft chirping of birds from outside their bedroom window, that made Seungyoun decide to pull Hangyul closer to him before closing his eyes again.

He would sleep for a bit more.

Eventually, Seungyoun woke up again. This time, the familiar warmth was gone.

But instead of the birds chirping outside, he heard another sound. A low voice, humming a soft and beautiful melody.

He quickly got out of bed, kicking the blankets off, and left the room.

The humming became louder. Seungyoun’s smile came back as he saw a familiar figure in front of the stove, shoulders broad and arm moving to stir a fork in the pot.

With a chuckle, Seungyoun said, “You’re up early.”

Hangyul whirled around, a grin making its way to his face. His arm continued to move, stirring the pot’s contents.

“Hyung! Morning.”

“Just so you know,” Seungyoun replied. “I woke up before you but went back to sleep again.”

“Sure you did.”

“Really.”

Hangyul had turned back to his cooking, the smile still lingering on his face. Seungyoun walked up to him, laying his chin on the other man’s shoulder.

“You’re cooking ramyeon again, aren’t you?” he muttered.

“What if I am, hyung?”

“Too much isn’t healthy.”

“Hmph.”

There was a slight pause, and all Seungyoun could hear was the sound of the fire against the pot. And the soft sound of Hangyul’s breathing, his shoulders slightly rising and descending with each breath.

“Hey, Hangyul.”

“Yeah?”

“Wanna go to the sea today?”

“All of a sudden?”

“I dunno. I just feel like it.”

Hangyul seemed to consider his reply for a bit. The noodles were done by then, and he carefully shut off the stove and turned to Seungyoun.

“Yeah, hyung. Sounds great.”

The city was quiet that day.

The roads were almost completely empty. There wasn’t a single plane in the sky. Some people passed by, chatting quietly amongst themselves. The hustle and bustle of the crowds that Seungyoun had grown accustomed to were simply no longer there.

But he guessed that he was getting used to it. The sky was still bright as they climbed into their car, traveling across the city with Hangyul behind the wheel. Seungyoun had been watching the sights go by, his head leaning against the window. He saw coffee shops and little cafés, the tables and chairs looking empty from the buildings’ many windows.

“Maybe people just prefer to stay inside,” Hangyul said after they had taken the last turn to the sea.

Seungyoun nodded. It was understandable. People really could never know what would happen in the city.

“I kind of miss it,” he then said.

Hangyul glanced at him, just briefly, before focusing on the road again. “Miss what?”

“How crowded it used to be.”

Another silence. The engine’s humming seemed so loud in their quiet car in the quiet city.

“Me too,” Hangyul finally said.

It wasn’t a surprise that the beach wasn’t crowded as well.

There were a few visitors, though. An old man underneath an umbrella, lying on his back on the sand, fast asleep with a hat covering his head. A woman and her daughter sitting on folded chairs, holding hands as they slept as well.

The sky had turned a bit darker when Seungyoun and Hangyul finally reached the beach. Clouds had begun to block the sun, covering the sky in a thin blanket of gray. But the wind that blew wasn’t all that strong, so Seungyoun still thought it was a lovely day to spend there.

And so they walked. With their shoes off and away from the few visitors, the two men walked on the seashore. Seungyoun watched Hangyul’s broad back as he walked behind the younger man. They went at a leisurely, calm pace. Small, weak waves lapped at their feet and ankles, bringing in a short feeling of coldness in the slightly chilly weather.

Hangyul had his head down, staring at his own feet as he walked. It seemed that he was fascinated by the wet sand underneath him, and how they shifted to accommodate the size of his feet with each step.

The two of them didn’t say much, already comfortable with each other’s company and the calm silences. Hangyul then suddenly stopped in his tracks, turning around to face Seungyoun.

For a couple seconds, the younger man just stared at him. For other people who did not know him yet, Hangyul’s sharp features could have intimidated them, especially when being looked upon so intensely.

But Seungyoun had known him for years. He knew Hangyul enough to see his childish sides, his soft sides, and all the sides contrary to what many people got from their first impressions of him.

It wasn’t a glare. It was just curious eyes, as if wanting to see Seungyoun’s expression underneath the cloudy sky with the sea lapping at their feet.

Then Hangyul smiled. It was gentle and warm, and Seungyoun could feel his heart warming up just as well. Perhaps he should have gotten used to Hangyul’s many smiles— especially the ones for him— but it still felt like the air whooshed out of his lungs for a bit.

Hangyul was still more than breath-taking for him.

_Well,_ Seungyoun thought. _We have a whole lifetime together for me to get used to this._

Silently, Hangyul held out his hand. There was a meter of distance between them since Hangyul had the habit of walking fast, but Seungyoun quickly closed said distance by taking a couple steps forward.

He took Hangyul’s hand, and he could feel his heart warming up even more and a smile making its way to his face.

_Yeah. Of course I could get used to this._

Hangyul grinned and, without a word, turned around and continued walking. Seungyoun still walked behind him, but this time with the older man’s smaller hand in his.

While they walked, Seungyoun glanced around. He saw ripples in the water and the waves that formed in the distance. He saw the horizon, stretching on until he could no longer see it. He saw the city that they had spent years in, with its tall buildings and concrete roads and little shops.

And he turned back to see Hangyul, seeing how Hangyul was kicking at the sand below.

_The sand._

Seungyoun felt his feet sink slightly into the ground as they walked. Just a few centimeters. Just how they should on a normal beach in a normal world.

He then let out a small, thoughtful sigh. It must have come out louder than he thought, because Hangyul had glanced over his shoulder, their eyes locking again.

“What is it, hyung?”

“Huh? Oh, you heard that?”

Hangyul chuckled. “Yeah. What’s on your mind?”

“It’s not really that important.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Hmph.” Now Hangyul _pouted,_ like a kid, and Seungyoun felt his heart give a little squeeze at the sight. Hangyul may be a fully grown 23-year-old man, but he was still damn adorable. “Even if you think it’s not important, it may be for me. Eitherway, I’m curious.”

Seungyoun laughed, and he couldn’t help but use his free hand to give Hangyul a small pinch on the cheek. Hangyul attempted to swat him away with their intertwined hands.

“Alright,” Seungyoun said, as they continued walking. “It’s just that...”

He trailed off for a bit, not knowing how to voice his thoughts. Hangyul, still looking curious, patiently waited.

“It all feels so real.”

A pause. All they heard was the sound of waves gently hitting the shore.

“What does?” Hangyul then asked.

“All this.” Seungyoun gestured around them, to the city, to the sea. “The sand and water underneath our feet, how it makes our toes cold. The ramyeon we ate this morning. The hum of our car and how bumpy roads would make us slightly jolt. Everything. It all feels so real.”

Hangyul seemed lost in thought, still holding onto Seungyoun’s hand.

“And the warmth of our hands,” Seungyoun said, looking down at their fingers wrapped around each other. “It also feels real.”

“It _is_ real, hyung.”

“You know what I mean.”

“Yeah.” Hangyul stopped in his tracks, turning around once more to look at him. Again, there was that thoughtful look. “I do.”

Maybe Seungyoun shouldn’t have let his mind wander. But he thought about how he wanted to hear those last two words from Hangyul again, but in a different context. In a different situation.

Seungyoun knew that he would have to wait. Once things got less strange and less _confusing._ But in the meantime, he let the warm feeling wash over him. And for now, it was enough.

“And this,” Seungyoun said, holding up their intertwined hands. A silver ring adorned Hangyul’s finger, with a matching one on Seungyoun’s too. Both of the rings glistened underneath the afternoon sun, and perhaps, Seungyoun did feel a lot warmer despite the slightly chilly weather. He closed his eyes and kissed the back of Hangyul’s hand. “This will also be real.”

A small wave hit their legs, brushing onto the sand and past them again as it resided back into the sea. Seungyoun opened his eyes.

He decided once again that he really should get used to the sight of how Hangyul’s expression lit up, how his eyes looked so bright and how gentle his gaze was. Maybe it was because of all that had happened, so that it made Seungyoun more grateful to see that smile. He wanted to make sure that it would never disappear. He wanted to see it, again and again.

Hangyul then closed the small distance between them, their lips meeting. Emotions and thoughts intensifying, Seungyoun kissed him back.

For now, this was more than enough.

Above them, the sky presumed its gray color. The clouds were shifting, and soon the sun would shine through, making everything brighter.

It was a vast and beautiful sky, really. Sometimes it rained. Sometimes only sunlight washed the city below. And soon, perhaps it would even snow.

Maybe the occupants of the city could look at the sky and get lost in it. Because it was something that always brought people together, all the way from one end of the Earth to the other. Everyone knew that the sky stretched on and on, not being able to find an end to it because the sky simply had no end.

The sky told them about the passage of time. From how night became day, and how the seasons changed. With each passing of the time, people held their own little stories and things they did and held close to them.

But the sky they looked at now was different from the sky they had seen last year. Because this sky, _if you looked very very closely and paid lots and lots of attention,_ you could see the abnormalities of it.

Sometimes you would see how the sky looked a little grainy. Sometimes— as if it was a trick of the eye, or you would convince yourself that you had too much to drink or was slightly delirious from fatigue— you would even see a slight _flickering_ of the sky. As if it was an image from a broken screen of an old, battered television.

But one thing was constant. If you paid attention close enough, perhaps grabbed a pair of binoculars and pointed it above, you would see how parts of the sky looked odd. As if there was a slight indentation that stretched on and on, horizontally and vertically. There were creases in the sky, like a piece of paper that had been folded numerous times into squares and then unfolded again. Like a Rubik’s cube but of a much larger scale and of a transparent color. Like huge screens of a billboard that were brought together to form a big, combined screen and formed one single image.

There was a time when Seungyoun thought that the sky was truly just that. Just big, vast screens that showed something that was never actually there.

* * *

**_Earth, Year X099_ **

Humanity had expected it.

At first, it wasn’t a secret that was known throughout the world. The governments of each country knew. The people with position or wealth (or both) knew. But for those that had neither, it wasn’t a piece of information that was given to them as something official.

But people would always find a way to get to things. From shady posts on the internet to civilians whispering on the streets. The news traveled fast, although at that time it seemed like any other hoax that floated around.

The news that _the world was going to end._

People thought it was just an old hoax that kept resurfacing, with different details at different times. But soon the governments of each country had declared it. They declared it on the breaking news of television channels, on the front page of every newspaper, endlessly so that every single person was aware. From a selected few and a few more knowing, the whole world now knew about it. Every single person.

The world would end due to a catastrophe that was near impossible to predict. The only thing scientists could be sure of was that it would happen, yet the exact time was unknown. Due to this, many people doubted the news in the first place.

But the government sent into action the next move. They would build huge, _huge_ ships with enough fuel to travel throughout the galaxy. The ships would take them to a new, habitable planet somewhere far, far away. And there, humanity would start anew.

Some underestimated how absolutely _enormous_ those ships would be. Some even doubted that they would even be built in the first place. But once each country started clearing out farmlands just miles outside the city (“they had to be easily accessible for when the time came” according to the announcement), people started to realize how serious the situation was.

Even so, when the ships were being made and their shapes and sizes could already be seen, people still denied it. As everyone else would. Because for them, everything was just too hard and bizzare to accept.

So they tried to forget about the existence of those ships just outside the city. They would forget about the initial announcement that the government gave, along with the daily announcements that they would give later. Daily reminders about the world’s ending and the procedures of how to get to the ships on that day. Whenever that would be.

But the size of the ships sometimes made it more than difficult to forget about them. If you were on a tall building with windows that faced the right way, you could see the ships in the far distance. You would see how the ships started to take shape more and more by the day. First you only saw what must have been the skeleton of the ship, then you would see the exterior of it being built, covering the skeleton.

And the ships would continue to grow.

* * *

**_Earth, Year X101_ **

Seungyoun was one of the many people working in one of the many tall buildings in the city. And unfortunately for him, he had a clear view of the ships in the distance.

Seeing the progress of the ship’s being made caused Seungyoun to feel more than a little uneasy. Sometimes he wondered how he would even get any work done when a glance out the window was just a constant reminder that the world was ending. Sometimes, it even felt suffocating.

At those times, when it got a little too overbearing, he would call Hangyul.

Hearing the other man’s voice really did help Seungyoun calm down. And by the end of the call, Hangyul’s words of _“see you at home”_ became Seungyoun’s energy to make it through the day.

And he knew how he would never forget the day when the ships were finally finished.

Someone had the radio on in the office, the volume at its maximum. It was impossible not to hear.

He heard murmurs amongst his coworkers, some questioning how it was possible to build such huge monsters in such a short amount of time, some wondering if their tax money was spent on something that would never be used, and all sorts of assumptions. But Seungyoun stayed silent as he absorbed the announcer’s words.

_“After two years of construction, the ships in this city have finally been built. In other cities and around the world, construction is also in its final phases. We’ll have enough ships to take everyone to the destined planet when the storm hits. More details of what to do on that day will be announced shortly. We want to make sure that everyone leaves Earth together, safely.”_

While his coworkers huddled around the radio to get a closer listen, Seungyoun began walking towards the window. Towards the view of the now finished ships.

This time, it was Hangyul who called him. The younger man was in his own office on the other side of the city, but in that moment, it felt like he was right next to Seungyoun.

_“Hyung. Did you see the news?”_

“I did. Is everything okay over there?”

_“People are freaking out a little, but other than that, we’re all fine.”_ A pause. _“It sounds calm on your end.”_

Seungyoun had reached the window, placing a hand on the glass. He saw the ships in the distance, tall and dark and ominous. “It’s more of a solemn atmosphere here. But I think everyone’s secretly just freaking out inside.”

_“I can imagine.”_

From the distance, it was impossible to see the people working on the ship. But he could imagine a huge crowd around the finished vessel, applause and cheers roaring over the crowd.

“Gyul.”

_“Yeah, hyung?”_

“It’ll be okay.” With those words, Seungyoun glanced at the ring on his finger. “We’ll be okay.”

Hangyul was silent for a bit, and in that brief time, Seungyoun could hear the chattering of people on the other man’s end. He heard murmurs of disbelief and denial, and if he listened close enough, he could have sworn he heard a woman crying.

But Hangyul then answered, drowning out the sounds of the people around him. Seungyoun focused on his words and only his words, as if Hangyul's voice was a lighthouse in a turbulent storm at sea.

_“I know we will, hyung.”_

Some people believed that the end of the world really was near, ever since the first announcement. Some denied it to the very end.

If one were to make a spectrum from “believing” to “denial”, Seungyoun would be somewhere in the middle. And sometimes he would move along that spectrum, leaning more towards one end, tethering back and forth. It depended on the situation, how he felt, and the new information that came out every now and then. It would cause him to gravitate either towards belief and disbelief.

It was hard to deny every single thing happening, especially ever since the ships started getting built. Would the government of every single country really be spending so much money on something that would be of no use?

But then the skeptical side of him emerged. Who was to say that the ships actually worked in the first place? What if they couldn’t even launch, or didn’t even have anything working inside? Meanwhile, it could be that the rest of the money not used for the lie was then devoured by the government themselves. And the world would continue on turning, just like normal. Without the danger of absolute destruction.

Maybe it was just the governments’ diabolical plan to steal money from the people.

And that was one of the biggest conspiracy theories that caught people’s eyes. And deep down, Seungyoun would prefer any alternative that didn’t involve an impending doom.

He had too many things that he needed to do. So many promises that he had to fulfill.

_Especially the biggest promise that he would make in his entire life._

Seungyoun would promise to care for and to protect the man he loved. He would promise to make him happy. For years and years and years after.

He had hoped that he would be able to fulfill it.

But, of course, it didn’t go the way he wanted.

A week before Seungyoun and Hangyul’s wedding day, the world ended.

* * *

**_Earth, Year X096_ **

When they first met, Hangyul was in his first year of college.

Meanwhile, Seungyoun was in his last year and struggling with his thesis.

Them being in different faculties should have made it harder for them to have a meaningful, first encounter and an afterwards close relationship. And the three-year age gap between them should have made it even worse.

It was thanks to the university’s local radio that Seungyoun got to meet the man who would then become his fiancé.

“And that’s it for today,” Seungyoun said into the microphone. He glanced at the _ON AIR_ sign in front of him, knowing that it’ll turn off once he finished off the broadcast. “I’ll be with you guys later just for a few more times before I gotta say goodbye for good.” He then made exaggerated crying noises, though he did feel bittersweet at the thought of not doing this again. “This has been DJ Cho, and I’ll be signing off for today. This is the last song— _When We Were Young_ by Adele. Study hard and play hard, everyone. See ya!”

He then leaned back heavily against the chair as the song began to play. It would really be a bittersweet evening for him.

And he couldn’t have been more thankful that he was proven wrong.

Just then, the door of the broadcast room opened. His friend, who was in charge of the radio show as well, peeked in.

“Hey, Seungyoun. I brought the new DJ with me. You’ll be doing the next few broadcasts with him, just so he gets the feel of everything before you really finish.”

Seungyoun nodded. His friend had given him a heads-up a couple days ago. “Right. Send him in.”

“Alright. Hangyul, you can come in.”

Seungyoun glanced up from his papers, and what he saw made his gaze stay, his eyes go slightly wide.

A young man stood in the doorway, black hair ruffled up and falling in strands over his forehead. The man swept his hair back, maybe due to nervousness. Seungyoun could see sharp eyes with a sharp gaze, and he couldn’t help but stare at the newcomer’s face.

Big, curious eyes. A perfect nose. Thick eyebrows that complicated his sharp features. Plush lips that curled into a smile in the corners, even forming a slight pout when he talked.

“Hi, I’m Lee Hangyul. Nice to meet you.”

Lee Hangyul was very, _very_ handsome.

Seungyoun mentally punched himself in the stomach, willing himself to focus.

Hoping that he hadn’t been gawking, he climbed to his feet, closing their distance. He noticed that Hangyul was a few centimeters shorter than him. He also realized how Hangyul had long eyelashes.

He took Hangyul’s outstretched hand, shaking it firmly. Hangyul’s hand was bigger, easily enveloping his own.

Seungyoun pulled on a smile, all professional. “Cho Seungyoun. Welcome to the wonderful world of our university’s wonderful local radio show.”

Hangyul let out a laugh. Seungyoun felt his stomach twist and turn.

“Sounds great,” Hangyul said with his deep _deep_ voice. “Can’t wait to get started.”

“Me neither.”

Seungyoun then heard his friend speak.

“He’s in your hands now, Seungyoun. Take good care of him.”

Brain perhaps a little too hazy from lack of sleep and an overdose of coffee, Seungyoun could have mistaken the words for another meaning.

But the professional side of him was dominant, and he took the words as they should be.

“Yeah,” Seungyoun answered. “I’ll make sure that he’s the best radio DJ ever.”

Lee Hangyul was a fast and enthusiastic learner. He jotted down notes on his little notepad as Seungyoun explained to him how things worked. With his messy hair, oversized jacket that slightly covered the thigh area of his jeans, Lee Hangyul gave off a young and _soft_ aura despite his strong and mature appearance.

His facial expressions even added to that aura— eyes all curious and mouth letting out a little _“wow”_ of awe when something fascinated him.

Seungyoun had went straight into the explanations, knowing that it was already getting late and there was just so much to cover. Hangyul had a lot of questions too, wanting to make sure he got everything right. Seungyoun happily answered them, glad that his soon-to-be replacement was passionate and serious about the job.

By the time they were finished, it was well at night and the campus building would be closed soon. Seungyoun and Hangyul walked through the empty hallways, backpacks slung over their shoulders.

When they opened the building door, they were hit with a breeze of wind. The air outside was chilly. It was the beginning of the new semester in the last half of the year, after all. The air was getting cold, the winter season just around the corner.

“Sorry if this took longer than you thought,” Seungyoun said, as they headed towards the campus gates together. “I hope you’re not too exhausted for tomorrow and end up late for your class.”

Hangyul chuckled. “No, it’s alright, really. I needed this. And thanks for teaching me.”

Seungyoun smiled. “Still, though. Don’t be late for classes.”

“I’ll make sure I don’t oversleep.”

“Hopefully your morning classes aren’t the super difficult ones.”

“Honestly? It feels like all of them are difficult.” Hangyul let out another laugh, as if shrugging off his worries. “But that’s probably what every new student feels in their very first semester. Everything seems difficult and intimidating. But hopefully I’ll get the hang of it.”

It felt like something short-circuited in Seungyoun’s brain. He blinked in surprise. “Wait... you’re a new student? In your very first semester?”

“Yeah. Why?”

Now Seungyoun was staring again. If he had to be honest, he had thought that Hangyul was older than him. But he knew that couldn’t be the case, because people his age or older usually were drowning in thesis work already. It was the reason why Seungyoun was stepping down from his position. Plus, while Seungyoun was teaching him, Hangyul had called him “sunbaenim” a couple times. So he had assumed that Hangyul was a year below him.

But a whole three years? Seungyoun tried to wrap his mind around it.

“Oh.” Hangyul laughed. “Don’t worry. I get this a lot. I don’t look my age, do I?”

Seungyoun was quick to apologize. “Sorry.”

_Well, that explained why Lee Hangyul gave off such a youthful aura. Because he really was still that young._

“Believe it or not,” Hangyul said. “Despite me looking middle-aged, I really am still 18 years old.”

“I wouldn't go so far as to say you look _middle-aged."_ Seungyoun cleared his throat, eager to change the topic. “So what do you study?”

“Psychology. And no, we psychology students can’t read minds or know your personality just by looking at the palm of your hand. We’re not psychics.”

Seungyoun laughed. “Oh, gosh. One of my friends told me something like that too. He nearly threw me over his shoulder when I jokingly asked if he could read my mind.”

“That would be a normal reaction,” Hangyul commented, causing Seungyoun to laugh harder. “So, you have a friend in the same department as me?”

“Yeah, he’s in his last year. He’s gonna graduate soon. I could introduce you to him, if you want. So just in case you need help with classes or something, you could come to him."

“That’s... very nice of him.”

“He's a really nice guy. His name’s Kim Wooseok. Do you know him?”

“Oh. I think everyone knows him. He looks like a cat, right?”

“Yup, that’s him.”

“Okay, noted. Kim Wooseok. The one that looks like a cat."

"Righto."

"And what do _you_ study, sunbaenim?”

“Engineering.”

They had just reached the gates, the chilly air even colder by then.

“And there are quite a lot of misconceptions of engineering students too,” Seungyoun said with a grin.

“Like what?”

“We have a lot of time to talk about that. I think you should head back and get some sleep. I don’t want to be responsible if you’re late for class or fall asleep in class. Also, once I start, it’s hard to shut me up.”

Hangyul stared at him, a smile growing on his lips. “I see.”

“Oh and, Hangyul?”

“Yeah.”

“We’ll be spending quite a lot of time together as DJs. Let’s be comfortable around each other. So feel free to just call me ‘hyung’.”

The smile grew.

“Okay, Seungyoun-hyung.”

Their second meeting was at the campus’s main library.

Seungyoun was typing furiously on his laptop, trying to finish the rough draft of his thesis’s third chapter. On his right, he had two cups of coffee. On his left, he had his trusted friends.

A laptop in front of him and a hand flipping through the pages of a thick book, Wooseok was in his highest level of concentration. He was muttering things under his breath, like an incantation. His shoulders were being massaged by his boyfriend, Lee Jinhyuk.

Jinhyuk also had a laptop in front of him, though he was taking a 10-minute break after staring at the screen for hours without rest.

When one goes through a period of stress, it was a good idea to look for comrades who were also stressing about the same thing. _We suffer together,_ Wooseok had said one day. _And we’ll graduate together. Just like we did in high school._

Seungyoun was so focused on his work that he didn’t notice the group of students that arrived and sat at the table a few rows in front of them.

That was, until he heard a familiar name and familiar deep voice.

“Hangyul, you’ll be in charge of the introduction.”

“Yessir.”

Seungyoun glanced up, thankful that he was wearing his glasses. Hangyul was seated a few tables in front of him, the same bright smile on the young student's face as he talked to his friends. The table then went silent as each of the students focused on their work.

Hangyul didn’t seem to realize Seungyoun was there until Seungyoun finally waved. Their chairs were facing each other, though tables apart.

The younger student’s eyes fixed on him, and he squinted a little. He then pulled out a pair of glasses, putting them on.

_Oh,_ Seungyoun thought. _He must be as blind as me._

He also thought Hangyul looked cute with glasses, but he decided to tuck that thought in the recesses of his mind.

Hangyul waved back, the grin even bigger on his face. It looked like he was ready to call Seungyoun’s name but suddenly remembered that he was in a library. So he just cupped a hand over his lips and slowly mouthed the other’s name, to which Seungyoun chuckled.

Seungyoun made a small fist pump gesture, mouthing back, _“Fighting!”_ The younger student gave him a thumbs up and added a fist pump too.

Feeling suddenly energized after their short, silent conversation, Seungyoun carried on with his work. 

“Who’re you looking at?” Wooseok suddenly asked, causing Seungyoun to almost jump in his chair. He then squinted to see the group of students. “Oh. The new psychology kids.”

“One of them is the new DJ,” Seungyoun said. “The one I told you about.”

“Oh, Lee Hangyul. Yeah, I talked to him a couple times. He’s a good kid. Quite popular with the girls and boys too.”

Seungyoun blinked, not knowing how to react to that.

“Anyways,” Woosoek then said. “Back to work. Don’t forget you have a deadline, Seungyoun.”

Jinhyuk, who was still massaging Wooseok’s shoulder with one hand and holding a book with the other, chirped in, “Friendly reminder. The deadline’s in a few hours, Seungyoun.”

Seungyoun groaned before forcing his eyes on the laptop screen again.

After another hour, Seungyoun decided to take a short break.

He went downstairs, going to the trusted vending machine that always provided his caffeine needs whenever he was at work in the library. To his surprise, Hangyul was there.

There was a light _thunk_ as whatever Hangyul ordered hit the bottom of the machine. He bent down to get it, throwing it in the air and catching it. A bottle of coffee.

“Hey,” Seungyoun greeted, grinning.

Hangyul whirled around. “Seungyoun-hyung?”

“Working on group assignments?” Seungyoun asked, taking out his wallet. He inserted the money into the machine before pressing the button for his favorite drink. The same bottle of coffee that Hangyul now held in his hand.

“Yeah. I think almost 80 percent of assignments in my faculty are group assignments.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. And it drives me crazy.”

Seungyoun chuckled. “Hang in there.”

“You too. I see that your thesis is driving you and your friends a little crazy too. It looked like Wooseok-hyung was going to burn a hole through his laptop screen.”

“I’m at the point where I just want to toss my books out the window.”

“Hang in there, hyung.”

There was another _thud._ Seungyoun retrieved his drink, holding it in front of Hangyul.

“Let’s have a toast,” he then said. “To our first successful broadcast this Friday. To the end of our assignments. To your college life.”

Hangyul held up his bottle. "To the happy graduation of Cho Seungyoun.”

Seungyoun grinned. “And to the happy graduation of Lee Hangyul, four years after this. Or earlier if you’re ambitious enough. Or later if you feel like taking it slow. Anything’s fine.”

“My head will implode, hyung.”

With a laugh, Seungyoun said, “Cheers.”

Hangyul smiled back. “Cheers.”

They bumped their bottles of coffee against each other before opening the caps. Tilting their heads back, they both took a mighty gulp, feeling the caffeinated drink stream down their throats.

After their little toast, Hangyul pulled on his serious face. “Back to work?”

Seungyoun nodded. “Back to work.”

It was when they made their way upstairs again when they realized how ridiculous they must have looked. Seungyoun started to suddenly giggle, and Hangyul followed suit.

They both shut up before they reached their own tables. This was a library, after all.

Seungyoun wasn’t sure if it was the cheap coffee. But once again, he felt more than energized while he typed like crazy.

Wooseok gave him a look with his cat-like eyes. A little knowing look.

Seungyoun and Hangyul fell into a routine after that. They met two times a week— once for discussing the materials for the broadcast, and second for the broadcast itself.

Hangyul was _good._ He had an easy-going attitude and jokes seemed to naturally flow out of his mouth. And it turned out that Seungyoun wasn’t the only person that talked _a lot._ Hangyul just seemed to never run out of things to say, and he knew how to say it in a way that drew people in. As if he was telling a story.

Listeners had also expressed how they liked Hangyul’s husky voice, finding the contrast between his and Seungyoun’s voices to be an interesting mix. Listeners also enjoyed the chemistry between them, as if they had been friends since years ago.

And, in a way, Seungyoun wondered how exactly they just seemed to fit so well with each other. Maybe it was their easy-going attitude, or the fact that they were both social butterflies, or the fact that they both didn’t mind the slight age gap, thus talking and acting comfortably with each other.

But there were things that they didn’t have in common. During the music segments of the broadcast, Seungyoun found out that their music taste was completely different. But even so, Hangyul, with all his enthusiasm, asked for song recommendations from Seungyoun. And the older student felt a burst of happiness in his chest when Hangyul came up to him and said, _“Hyung, the songs are great. I’m listening to them when I study.”_

It was only a matter of time before they met for things other than the broadcast. Seungyoun had expressed how easily distracted he could be, and Hangyul suggested that they work in the same place. _Be each other’s study slash work buddy,_ he had said. _If someone gets distracted or ready to give up, snap him back to reality. Whack him in the head with a book, if necessary._

Their regular meetups continued even after their last broadcast together. 

So while Seungyoun pored over his thesis, Hangyul was by his side, working on assignments or studying. Eventually, meetings at the library became meetings at cafés near campus.

And after that, it was only a matter of time before they started watching movies and having lunch or dinner together. Sometimes it was their own way of rewarding themselves for a good test score, or a well done revision, or simply just because they wanted to.

And it was only a matter of time before Seungyoun started to realize that he may or may not have been falling in love. At least a little.

“Is Wooseok-hyung dating anyone?”

The question took Seungyoun off guard, causing him to nearly choke on the iced americano he was sipping. He set the cup down, wiping his lips. He had spilled a little. “What?”

Hangyul was looking at him with his big, curious eyes. In front of him on the table were scattered pieces of paper, a pencil in his hand. He was in the middle of studying for exams. “Wooseok-hyung," he repeated. "Is he dating anyone?”

Seungyoun glanced around the café they were in, not sure why he did that in the first place. He then cleared his throat. “He’s dating Jinhyuk. I thought it was pretty obvious?”

“I had a feeling,” Hangyul said. And he sounded disappointed.

Seungyoun noticed the tone of Hangyul’s voice. He glanced to his right, at Hangyul who sat by his side, noticing the small pout on the younger student’s lips. “Wait. Don’t tell me _you’re_ interested in him?”

Hangyul shook his head. “No. But my friend is. Now I’ll have to break the news to him and shatter his fragile heart.”

“Oh,” Seungyoun said, feeling relieved. Afterwards feeling surprised that he felt so relieved. “Tough luck for your friend.”

“Yeah. But he’ll be fine. And I think this might be better for him? He’s in the same year as me. I think it’d be hard to date an upperclassman who’s about to graduate.”

And now Seungyoun felt his heart give a squeeze. A little aching squeeze. He didn’t know why it did that.

Seungyoun tried to be nonchalant about it. He let out a hum. “You think it’d be difficult?”

“One would be in college for the next few years while the other’s going out there, working and facing the world. It’d be hard to find the time to meet. I guess chats and calls could do, though. But...”

“It’s also possible to meet up on the weekends,” Seungyoun found himself saying. “And squeeze in some time to meet during weekdays.”

“I’d feel bad though. He’d be back from a busy day at the office. It’d already be late at night. Especially if his office is far from campus. Then he’d have to work the next day.”

“I thought you said you weren’t interested in Wooseok.”

“I’m _not._ I’m just thinking about this for my friend.”

“Remember that Wooseok’s taken. Oh, he’s been dating for years already too. They were high school sweethearts and now college sweethearts. And Jinhyuk already planned to propose after they both graduate.”

“I said I’m _not_ interested in him!”

“Really?”

“Really.”

It was like an impromptu staring contest, none of them wanting to back down. Hangyul looked serious and even... _genuine?_

Seungyoun then glanced down at his laptop, getting to work again. “Okay then.”

“Okay.”

Hangyul went back to his books, taking a sip from his drink as he did so.

And they continued on like that, as if nothing happened. The ambience of the café accompanied them— the chattering of customers, the soft music playing in the background, the smell of coffee.

While Seungyoun typed and flipped through books, two things kept popping up in his mind.

_One._ How he was glad that Hangyul really didn’t like Wooseok.

_Two._ How Hangyul preferred not to be in a relationship with someone in their last year, someone about to graduate. Someone like Wooseok. Someone like Seungyoun.

And...

A third thought had appeared.

_Three._ How those first two thoughts made him wonder how he should actually feel. How he wondered why his heart felt elated and then ached in just a matter of seconds like that.

And he kept thinking about it. Even as the months passed by. As the both of them got more and more busy with their own things. Yet somehow, they were always for each other. One way or the other.

It was on Seungyoun’s graduation day— with Hangyul making his way through the crowd, the brightest smile on his face, holding a bouquet of flowers and calling out Seungyoun’s name— when Seungyoun realized that he was deep, _deep_ in love.

* * *

**_Earth, Year X101_ **

Seungyoun and Hangyul were at the sea when it happened.

No one expected it. If anything, whatever prediction that the experts had... this was far from it. It happened far, far too early.

No one really expected it.

But there they were at the sea, walking along the coast, when the ground shook.

At first Seungyoun thought that he had imagined it. Then the ground shook again. Hangyul also went tense, gaze on the horizon, his big eyes even bigger.

“Hyung... Look.”

It all looked hazy in the distance. It looked like many shooting stars falling from the sky. Except this wasn’t at night, and whatever was falling from the sky did not look beautiful at all.

Terrifying. That was all there was to it.

Seungyoun was frozen on the spot as people began to scream and run past him. Soon there were many more of those “shooting stars”, these ones much _much_ closer.

“We need to go, hyung.”

Then he was tugged forward as Hangyul grabbed his hand and began to run, dragging the older man along.

“Oh my god,” Seungoyun then gasped, finally realizing everything. “Oh my _god.”_

“It’ll be okay,” Hangyul said, and he began to run faster. It was a good thing that they were both athletic— they could keep up a good pace. “We’ll be okay, hyung.”

“Gyul, we need to get to the ships as soon as we can.”

“And we will. We just need to stay calm.”

Seungyoun felt Hangyul squeeze his hand. A comfortable squeeze. He could feel tears start to prick at his eyes. At this moment, Hangyul was doing all he could to reassure Seungyoun. He was being the strong and calm one for the both of them.

They reached their car quickly, parked nearby. They would ride it until the assembly point, where civilians would then be transported to the ships outside the city.

Hangyul was driving, knuckles turning white as he gripped tightly onto the steering wheel. They were lucky enough to make it past quite a number of roads, but once the traffic and the crowds hit, it was impossible to continue by car.

The city was in absolute panic by then. Drivers, stuck in the congestion of vehicles on the roads, slammed their hands onto the horn of their cars, filling the air with an endless cacophony of noises. Meanwhile, civilians on their feet were running between the cars, trying desperately to get to the assembly point.

There were two things that caused Hangyul to hit the breaks and force them to a sudden stop.

First, he had spotted the upcoming traffic. He muttered under his breath how that was to be expected— after all, everyone was trying to head to the same place all at once. Hangyul had spun the wheel, taking a rough turn to another street with hopes that the roads were better there.

But after seeing the roads in the same congested condition, Hangyul knew that they wouldn’t be able to get anywhere with the car.

And second, it was then that one of the city’s skyscrapers collapsed.

Seungyoun only had a very brief glance of it— of how one of the “shooting stars” hit the middle of the skyscraper. Then it came tumbling down, like a house of cards.

Everything was a mess as people pushed and shoved to avoid getting hit by debris. Some debris hit the traffic in front of them, and the screams became louder and worse.

“We need to ditch the car,” Hangyul said, and there was a slight tremble in his voice. _Slight._ As if it was barely there. The carnage had shaken him, obviously, but _someone_ had to be the sane one between them. The voice of reason. “Come on, hyung.”

“R-Right—”

Seungyoun had just thrown off his seatbelt and swung open the door when he felt Hangyul’s hand on his shoulder.

Their eyes locked, Seungyoun saw the serious and grave expression on Hangyul’s face.

“Hyung. We need to make sure not to get separated. Hold onto my hand as tightly as you can. I apologize in advance if my grip on your hand will hurt. But we _can’t_ be separated.”

Nodding, Seungyoun could feel his heart banging hard. His hand was shaking. “Okay.”

“If we get separated— I said _if!_ ”

Seungyoun must have looked absolutely horrified at the thought of being separated. Hangyul quickly continued.

“Just in case we do, okay? If we _somehow_ get separated, let’s meet at the assembly point. Looking for each other in this chaos will be pretty much impossible. Our phones are useless too. Our biggest chance is meeting at the assembly point. If we _still_ can’t find each other there, we’ll meet on the ship. Remember what the government has for us all. We’ll find each other there. Okay? Hyung?”

Hands shaking even worse, Seungyoun nodded again. Hangyul reached over and squeezed those trembling hands. Seungyoun could feel the ring on the other man’s finger.

“We can do this. Let’s go.”

“Wait.”

Seungyoun leaned in, pressing a brief yet desperate kiss to Hangyul’s lips. He hoped all that he wanted to convey was expressed in that one gesture.

He pulled back just as quickly, heart banging against his chest.

“I love you so much, Gyul.”

“I love you more, hyung.”

With another firm nod and a deep breath, Seungyoun gestured toward the door. “Let’s go.”

They left the car and held tightly onto each other, holding even tighter when they began to run.

It went well at first. They weaved through the crowd, glancing up to make sure there weren’t any debris ready to crush them. Every glance at the sky brought more dread and more terror in Seungyoun. The “falling stars” seemed to have multiplied, and some seemed bigger, indicating that they were closer and more dangerous.

All he heard was noise now. Just screams and crashes and what seemed to be explosions. All he saw was absolute chaos— debris, dust from fallen buildings, cars on fire, and endless people. So many people, _too_ many people, running around and trying to get to safety.

He was sure that he’d go insane right there. But his grip on Hangyul’s hand and his hand being gripped in return was what kept him tied to reality. He was with Hangyul, his boyfriend and now his fiancé, and they were going to make it out of there together.

They had to.

But again, reality liked to laugh in his face.

They made it to a street that was so busy, that was _so chaotic,_ that they had no idea where to go to get past that. But there was a high-pitched sound behind them, like the noise of a missile that Seungyoun would hear in action movies, and finally the ear-shattering sound of an explosion.

A shooting star had hit the street. The street that they had run across just a few seconds ago.

And needless to say, it caused people to panic and scatter even more.

It was like being caught in a hurricane. Soon he felt himself being shoved and bumped into from all directions as people didn’t see where they were going, trying to pass by him. The crowd became packed, more desperate, that Seungyoun could feel bodies crashing into his and Hangyul’s interlocked hands.

When their grip started to loosen, Seungyoun felt his panic rise at its peak.

Hangyul’s grip on Seungyoun's hand had been so strong that the latter felt like his blood circulation was being cut off. But he knew that he was doing the same to Hangyul, especially now as they tried their very best not to break apart. At the same time, they tried to avoid the crowd, tried as hard as they could to not crash into anyone or have anyone crash into them.

But eventually, like a pair of bolt cutters breaking through a chain link fence, their grip broke. Someone had crashed into them, right there, and desperately pushed through, forcing their hands apart.

And all it took was the crowd, running in all directions and crashing into them, that caused the two men to get farther and farther away from each other.

_“HANGYUL! HANGYUL!”_

Seungyoun doubted that Hangyul could hear him, even if he screamed at the top of his lungs. It was impossible to hear individual sounds now.

But he could see the movement of Hangyul’s mouth, the panic in his eyes as he yelled _hyung_ over and over again. Both of their hands were out, trying to grab onto each other, but it was useless. Every time Seungyoun tried to reach out, a body would smack into his arm, forcing him to draw it back if he wanted to keep it intact.

Soon, he couldn’t see Hangyul anymore. Hangyul was gone, just like that, swallowed by the crowd.

“No...” Seungyoun muttered under his breath.

He pushed forward, trying to get past. But the crowd kept going, people scattering left and right, and Seungyoun found himself getting shoved back, soon unable to discern where he had last seen his fiancé. He could imagine Hangyul trying to get to him, but failing just the same.

_If we get separated,_ Hangyul had told him, just a few minutes ago that felt like a lifetime.

“No, no, no, no...”

_We’ll meet at the assembly point._

Seungyoun clasped a hand over his mouth, resisting the urge to scream.

He could have lost himself there. He felt like he would go deaf with all of the noises, and he had the biggest urge to just close his eyes and shut all the sights out.

But an image had resurfaced in his mind. He remembered the bright smile on Hangyul’s face when Seungyoun dropped by to give him a cup of coffee back at campus. He remembered the bright look on Hangyul's face after Seungyoun had asked if he wanted to move in with him.

He remembered how Hangyul hugged him after Seungyoun had dropped on one knee and proposed.

Hangyul would be waiting for him there. At the assembly point.

Or Seungyoun would be waiting for _him._ Whoever got there first. Seungyoun would always wait. Always.

So Seungyoun willed himself to calm down, to get ahold of himself, and finally get his legs moving again.

He eventually reached it.

The assembly point was near the edge of the city. Dozens and dozens of buses were lined up on the road, people pouring into them. Once a bus was packed, it drove off. Off to the outside of the city, to where the ships waited for them.

There were so many people that Seungyoun had no idea how he would ever find Hangyul.

But Hangyul had said that if that were the case, they would meet on the ship. In that world that the government prepared for them. They would find each other there.

And yet, his legs felt heavy as he took a step towards the nearest bus. He wanted to stay and look for Hangyul. He wanted to see Hangyul again, to make sure he was safe.

Just as he was continuing his attempt to look for his fiancé, someone yelled at the top of their lungs, “ _Watch out!”_

Before Seungyoun could glance around to see what exactly he had to be watching out for, there was another explosion. This time, it was the closest to him yet.

He didn’t have time to react. Debris went everywhere, some in his direction. He felt a sharp pain in his arms and legs, before something hard and heavy hit his head.

Seungyoun’s knees buckled. He then crumpled to the floor, the world going dark around him.

The noises faded away. He saw and remembered nothing else from that day.

He saw nothing more of Earth either.

* * *

Days after the announcement that the ships were completed and ready to be launched, there was another piece of news that caused another uproar.

_“The destined planet is on the other side of the galaxy,”_ said the announcer that everyone saw on their television screens. _“To get there, it would take many, many years. Even if we go at the fastest speed there is, with the best technology as well, it would still take so long. Because of this, all civilians will be asked to go into cryogenic sleep, so that the effects of aging won’t get to us. Each civilian will have their own cryogenic pod where they will spend the whole journey. When we reach that destined planet, even though decades and decades have passed, you’ll all have the same appearance as you did when you first fell asleep. You can say that we paused your aging.”_

A collective silence had taken over the world as they listened. As if that announcement wasn’t crazy and mind-boggling enough, the next one broke the silence due to the sheer _strangeness_ of it all.

_“Now, you may think of all those years as a waste of time,”_ the announcer continued, now speaking in a much lighter tone. As if trying to cheer up the confused and terrified audience. _“You may feel that losing all those years of doing nothing but sleep is a heavy loss. Well, do not worry. We have something for all of you.”_

Another silence overtook the world.

_“Our greatest engineers and scientists have come together to construct this. It took quite a while, but they have done it. So that you don’t feel the loss of years and the loss of human interaction throughout those years, we have prepared a whole_ _technologically engineered world for you all to live in.”_

Now, a confused silence.

_“This world is an exact copy of the Earth. We call it Earth-X, where everything you see and feel will all happen in your head. But you will all be connected with each other, spending time in that world together. So if you want to spend time with your loved ones and friends, you could. You could go to your favorite coffee shop. Although the currency in it isn’t real, you could also ‘get a job’ to keep yourselves preoccupied. You can eat food and taste it. You can feel the warmth of the sun on your skin. Everything that you can do in the real world, your everyday lives, you could experience it all in there. But of course, there is an exception for those who just prefer to sleep throughout the journey.”_

Then the announcer smiled.

_“Earth may be meeting its ultimate demise. But it doesn’t mean that everything is over. We’ll all start from the beginning again, together.”_

* * *

**_Earth-X, Year X101_ **

And it was in that artificial world that Seungyoun woke up.

Sunlight streamed in from the bedroom window. He heard birds chirping. He felt the soft touch of a blanket underneath his fingertips.

It really felt like any other day.

But then Seungyoun recalled all that had happened before passing out.

He jolted up in bed. Feeling like he was having a terrible headache, he rubbed at the part where it hurt the most.

It was just that. A headache. No blood, no bruises. Nothing.

_Was it all just some, sick, twisted dream?_

He rolled out of bed, rather quickly, and exited the room. He had to find Hangyul.

The living room was empty as well. Everything looked exactly the same as when they left it that morning before going to the sea.

_The sea._

Seungyoun felt a mysterious pull to go there. He didn’t know why, but he _had_ to go there.

So he left the house in a haze, getting into the car with a few glances at his surroundings. He knew that something was off— very, _very_ off— but he tried to ignore it.

He saw people stumbling out of their houses, some already on the streets. They all had the same dazed expression like Seungyoun, as if not knowing where they were and what was happening.

The drive through the city just further proved the strangeness going on. And with each street he passed, he became more convinced that what happened wasn’t a dream. And that he and all these people were no longer on Earth, but were now on...

Seungyoun then hit the breaks when a long, ringing sound filled the air. At first he thought it was just him, but everyone on the streets— everyone who were wandering around looking dazed and confused— also flinched at the noise.

He stopped in the middle of the almost empty road. It seemed like not many people had decided to go straight into their cars. The sidewalks, on the other hand, were almost completely full with people walking about.

Then a man’s voice echoed throughout the entire city, sending chills down Seungyoun’s spine.

_“Good afternoon, citizens of Earth. Please, do not be alarmed. This is a public announcement now being broadcasted throughout this world. Please do pay attention because, to ensure your comfort, we will not be making announcements in this manner again.”_

Seungyoun held tightly onto the steering wheel as if it was his life support, laying his forehead on it.

_“Earth is gone. The storm took it all, and we can no longer go back to it. But do not be afraid, because you who stand here right now have all made it safely to the ships. And now you are in the technologically-engineered world that we have created, just for you.”_

_Breathe,_ Seungyoung told himself. _Breathe. It’ll be okay._

_“Some of you made it to the ships yourselves, thus being awake as you stepped into the cryogenic pods. But some of you were in an unconscious state and were brought there with the help of people. Some of you were injured, but we made sure to tend to the wounds and ensure that you were all in a stable condition before moving you to a pod. But it’s all okay now. Your real bodies are now in their own pods, going through cryogenic freezing. Your real bodies are asleep and will not age. And now, your minds are all connected as one, in this place that we call Earth-X.”_

Seungyoun slowly lifted his head, eyes on the world in front of him.

Earth was destroyed. This city that he was looking at... the real one was all probably crumbled to the ground. Maybe it was all reduced to rubble or even dust. He had no idea. But he remembered the buildings that fell, the explosions and the subsequent fires.

And now, he saw none of that. All he saw was the city that he had grown up in, the city where he fell in love, the city which he had hoped to see again and again... and _here_ it was all just as he had left it. Undestroyed. All intact. Normal.

It felt so, so weird.

But he swallowed that weirdness, like some bitter, poisonous pill. He then stepped on the gas, driving a little faster this time.

The beach wasn’t all that crowded, and Seungyoun was convinced that a majority of the civilians were roaming the streets or stayed in the shelter of their (artificial) homes. Here, he could find his way. Here, he had a clear view of everything.

Here, he found Hangyul.

Hangyul was at the shore, feet submerged in the sea water. He had the same, hazy look as everyone else. As if he was still trying to get his bearings, trying to wrap his mind around everything.

Eyes wide and vulnerable, he glanced up when Seungyoun ran towards him.

They collided in a messy, desperate, relieved embrace.

And as Seungyoun held onto him, Hangyul burst into tears.

“It’s okay,” Seungyoun said, feeling his voice break and his vision start to blur. Face buried in Seungyoun’s shoulder, Hangyul nodded. “We’re okay.”

“I was so scared, hyung.”

“Me too.”

“I thought I lost you. I... I thought that you...”

“But I’m here now. We’re both here. together, safe and sound.”

He felt Hangyul nod again, the younger man’s arms tight around him. Now that they weren’t in danger, Hangyul let everything out, letting go of his strong and calm composure.

Hangyul rarely cried. From the years that they had known each other, Seungyoun could count with his fingers how many times he saw the younger man cry. But this time, in his arms, Hangyul cried harder than Seungyoun had ever seen him.

Seungyoun held him close, his feeling of wanting to protect Hangyul even stronger than ever. And he would do just that. He would protect him from anything, no matter what happened.

They stayed there by the sea for a while, even after the artificial sun set and was replaced by the artificial moon.

Even as the fake water brushed against their feet.

****

It took time, but they had gotten used to the technologically-engineered world that was an exact replica of Earth.

Not just them, but the people around them too. Including Wooseok and Jinhyuk, who they had reunited tearfully with as well.

Just like that, time passed by. They had no idea how time in the real world worked, but if counting the times that the sun set in the artificial world, months had passed since they first embarked on the ships.

Everyone tried to get back into some sort of _normality_ in their lives. Some did this by going back into their regular routines, including Seungyoun.

The four of them were gathered at the usual café near campus, sipping on cups of coffee and nibbling on snacks.

Seungyoun tried to ignore the fact that the food and drinks weren’t real, focusing instead on the conversation.

“Jinhyuk had another existential crisis last night,” Wooseok said, poking at his piece of cake with a fork.

“Hey!” Jinhyuk retorted. “As if you didn’t go through the same thing just a couple days ago.”

Wooseok poked his husband in the side with the fork, causing Jinhyuk to nearly jump in his chair. “Shush, they don’t need to know that.”

Hangyul laughed, just like he always did whenever Woosoek and Jinhyuk began their bickering. Seungyoun smiled, also feeling that the usual banter of his friends did bring a sense of familiarity. He didn’t have to think about the fact that they were on a ship, floating across the galaxy.

He was just at a café, hanging out with his friends and his fiancé.

“I think an existential crisis is a normal thing, honestly,” Hangyul said. “I mean, it’s hard not to have one with everything going on.”

“Right?” Jinhyuk cried out, holding up the palm of his hand towards him. Grinning, Hangyul gave him a high five.

“Well,” Wooseok commented. He was swirling the little spoon in his cup, staring at the liquid inside. “The last thing we saw of Earth was of it being torn to pieces, and then we saw the ships and the inside of one. Then we were told to get into the pods. Everything went black. And then we woke up and saw... this.” He gestured to all around him, at the empty tables of the café, at the window where the view of the streets showed a less-than-crowded street. “And we never woke up ever since. I guess an existential crisis is only natural."

“At least you guys saw the interior of the ship,” Seungyoun muttered. “I was unconscious even before I reached the ship.”

Wooseok thought it over. “It was huge. _Huge,_ huge. We thought it looked enormous enough in the distance, but up close, it was like a whole city was in front of me, wrapped in silver walls.”

Jinhyuk had stabbed into Wooseok's piece of cake and shoved it in his mouth. “The chamber with the cryogenic tubes really got my jaw dropping.” He chewed and swallowed. “It looked endless. Like giant shelves, stacked up high and full of pods. Just lines and lines of pods, as far as the eye could see.”

“Right.”

“It’s impossible not to question our existence,” Jinhyuk said, sipping on his coffee. “How is my real body out there in the real world? Am I getting skinnier?”

Wooseok hummed. “Apparently cryogenic freezing and endless life preservation will ensure that your body’s in good condition. I mean, as they say. Hopefully.”

“Don’t worry, Wooseok. I’m sure you’ll still be gorgeous when you wake up in the real world again.”

Rolling his eyes, Wooseok gave his husband another jab. “Of course, I will be.”

Jinhyuk dramatically rubbed his side as if he was wounded. He then glanced around the café, and then at the view outside. “I think more people have decided to just sleep.”

_Sleep._

Since the conversation had taken this dark turn, Seungyoun realized that he might as well join in.

In fact, it was one of the things that he had noticed too.

“You’re right,” he said. “When we were driving here, we passed by a park and saw a couple people fast asleep on the benches.”

Hangyul added, “And some people were fast asleep in their car. Me and Seungyoun-hyung just visited the beach and there were some people sleeping there too."

“And,” Jinhyuk said, his voice quiet. He gestured in the direction behind them (in front for both Hangyul and Seungyoun), and saw that there were three figures seated at a table at the corner of the room. It looked like a small family, heads on the table as they all dozed off.

Seungyoun nodded. “It seems that there’s a lot more now.”

“And I have a feeling that the numbers will just increase as time passes,” Jinhyuk concluded.

Now there was a grim atmosphere in the air, the four of them lost in thought.

In this world, sleep was more than sleep. Their real bodies were asleep in the pods, but the bodies in _this world..._ they could sleep as well. But they could wake up to face another day as they pleased.

But some people decided to not wake up. They decided to keep on sleeping— to see nothing, hear nothing, feel nothing. Perhaps, being in the artificial world was too confusing and strange for them. Perhaps, they just didn’t find a reason to stay in a world that only existed in their minds. So they decided to sleep, not wanting to wake up until they reached the destined planet. They had the choice to wake up whenever they wanted, but simply chose not to.

While most people chose to sleep in their own homes, some decided to find _any_ part of the city, and sleep there. And with each passing day, it seemed as if the streets were getting more and more empty.

“It feels like we're living in a ghost city sometimes,” Wooseok admitted. “It just gets so quiet and... _not_ lively, that it’s just eerie.”

Another silence. They stared at the view outside, seeing a few people walking by. But there were far, far too few.

“But I don’t want to sleep like them,” Wooseok continued, glancing at his friends and husband. “I’m glad none of us are sleeping like them. I like this. Being with you all. Just living here— whatever the hell _“here”_ is— with you all.”

The words sinking in, Jinhyuk looked a little emotional. He wrapped an arm around Wooseok, bringing him into a brief hug and giving him a kiss on the forehead. “I’m glad too.”

Seungyoun smiled. “Me too.” He had reached under the table and took Hangyul’s hand. “I’m glad we’re all here.”

He felt Hangyul start to trace circles on his hand, when Jinhyuk declared, “I plan on getting a job.”

Wooseok chuckled. “You know that you don’t have to.”

“Money isn’t a thing anymore,” Hangyul said with a laugh. “But yeah, that does sound like a good idea.”

Another thing that had shaken Seungyoun was the fact that monetary values no longer existed. The government wanted everyone to be happy and comfortable in the artificial world. Money was of no use, since everyone got everything that they needed. They didn’t even need to eat or drink in this world because their real bodies were the ones being sustained. The houses that they lived in were free, electricity and everything given.

The same went for health. Everyone’s health was robust, no sickness or injuries in sight. Which is why Seungyoun felt that it was so odd to have woken up without a single scratch on his skin, when he remembered how debris had hit him all over his body before he was carried to the ship.

_(Sometimes he wondered if his real body had healed from the injuries.)_

Health, substance, and everything— _everything–_ were images and sounds and sensations produced by the artificial world in their minds. There was no price on those things.

And thus, jobs became redundant. No one needed to work because money wasn’t needed.

But there were some people who decided to get jobs for reasons other than that. They just needed something to do, something to pass the time, something to make them feel like they were doing _something._ For some, it added meaning to their lives. Or at least that was what people told themselves.

“I kind of just want to feel like it’s any other day,” Jinhyuk said, laying his chin on his head, elbow on the table. “To wake up, hop on the regular public transportation, get to the office, work my ass off the entire day, and go home and wait for Wooseok. Unless he gets home first.”

“Jinhyuk thinks that it’ll help with his constant existential crises,” Wooseok piped in. “To slip back into everyday routines.”

“Yeah. Something like that.” Jinhyuk let out a small sigh. “The college reunion helped. Seeing everyone’s faces and just chatting and goofing off like usual... it really helped make me think that the world didn’t end.”

“Yeah,” Seungyoun said. “That helped me too.”

People found normality in just carrying on with their lives. They had a small reunion with their friends from the same major, even deciding to hold it in the campus. The campus in this world— Seungyoun remembered as he saw the familiar sights— looked like an exact replica of the campus back on Earth.

Seungyoun had brought Hangyul with him to the reunion, seeing the younger man’s eyes light up with glee as they walked on familiar roads and saw familiar buildings. It was both a bittersweet and nostalgic moment for the both of them.

Bittersweet because their real campus was probably reduced to rubble right now. Nostalgic because they missed it. They missed that campus and they missed Earth, and they relived the old memories that they had made there.

Seungyoun also found it comforting when he talked to the two elementary kids who lived next door— Minhee and his little brother Hyeongjun. They had been his neighbors back on Earth. And in this world, their house were next to his too. Seeing the two of them continue playing and go on their little adventures helped convince Seungyoun that things could go back to the way they used to be.

And now here they were, in the café, in another attempt of just _carrying on._

Jinhyuk gestured towards the window, at the tall skyscrapers outside. “Maybe I’ll find work in some of these buildings.”

“Nice and fancy,” Hangyul commented.

“Yup.”

“Try to get a job where they give you good food, hyung.”

“Gyul, you know my thoughts exactly.”

The four of them laughed. And despite their heavy conversation, Seungyoun felt his heart warm up.

He knew that even if the world made no sense, he was with the people he loved. They would all figure it out, together.

They bid farewell an hour later. Jinhyuk and Wooseok were going to the movie theaters for what must have been the third time that week.

“We’re gonna watch _Frozen_ again,” Jinhyuk said, an arm around Wooseok’s slim shoulders. “I mean, new films aren’t being produced anymore, so...”

To which Wooseok rolled his eyes and muttered, “Excuses.”

“See ya, guys!” Jinhyuk waved at them before whirling around to begin his walk towards the theaters, bringing Wooseok along.

Seungyoun kept waving until his two friends turned the corner and disappeared. He then glanced at Hangyul. “Shall we go?”

“Let’s.”

Hangyul held his hand as they walked. There were a few people on the streets, but not enough to be called a crowd. Some walked with purpose while others seemed to look more like confused, wandering souls. Because, perhaps, that was exactly what they were.

As they made their way to the parking lot, people passed by from the opposite direction. There was a teenager with a uniform on, probably from a nearby workplace. There was a woman walking with staggering steps, as if she was dazed and unaware of her surroundings. There was a little boy holding the hand of a tall, pale man, his gaze wandered at his surroundings.

When Seungyoun and Hangyul were supposed to pass by, the little boy suddenly stopped in his tracks, staring right at them.

Maybe it should have been unnerving. But with all the strangeness going on, being stared at by a fellow Earth-X citizen wasn’t all that concerning.

The little boy couldn’t have been more than five years old. He had plump cheeks and a mole near his left eye. His gaze was still on them, just staring.

Seungyoun and Hangyul eventually passed them— both the little boy and the tall, pale man— and continued their way to the parking lot. Not knowing if they were still being stared at or if the little boy continued on his way, Seungyoun decided not to think too much about it. Maybe he was just overthinking and being paranoid, and the boy wasn't even looking at them in the first place.

The city was already strange enough as it is.

  
  


Seungyoun and Hangyul had decided to take a little drive around. Seungyoun behind the wheel, he carefully parked the car when they had reached a road that overlooked the city. 

It was a fantastic view, and it really was mind-boggling how everything was so _detailed._ It really wasn’t a joke when it was said that the best engineers made the whole place. Yet the feeling of eeriness was still there. A huge amount of lights were turned off in the city, with only a few shining from buildings scattered about. Like stars that peeked from the haze of a foggy sky.

It was as if most of the city was asleep. Perhaps that was the case.

The sun had begun to set by then. Another night was coming. Seungyoun glanced at his fiancé, seeing how Hangyul was staring at the city below.

Seungyoun felt his heart thump against his chest. He really had no plan to go here, just thought that it would be nice to get a pretty view of the city. But he was just so in love and found the other man _so damn endearing,_ that he couldn’t hold himself back.

“Hangyul.”

“Yeah?”

“Somewhere over there,” Seungyoun said, pointing to a certain spot of the city, “there’s this really nice building. I passed by it yesterday. Weddings are held there and after I saw the inside, I can see why. It’s big and really _really_ nice.”

Hangyul was silent, not looking at him, instead trying to find exactly where Seungyoun was referring to.

“I thought that...” Seungyoun paused, giving himself a last chance to stop. But he couldn’t. “I thought that if we had our wedding there, it would be really nice.”

And Hangyul was still silent. But this time he wasn’t trying to follow the direction of Seungyoun’s finger. His gaze went down, at the ground, a look in his eyes that Seungyoun tried to figure out.

When Hangyul finally spoke, his voice was so quiet and made Seungyoun’s heart twist.

“We talked about this, hyung.”

“I know, but...”

“Hyung.”

Seungyoun let the words die in his throat.

“Marriage is...” Hangyul said, and even he looked a bit pained as he talked. “Marriage is a big thing. It’s _huge._ And having a wedding in this world is just... It just doesn’t feel right.”

Seungyoun nodded, though his heart was aching.

“It’s an artificial world we live in now, hyung. You even said it yourself, how this world isn’t real.”

“I know, Gyul. It’s true that this world isn’t real. The ground we step on isn’t real. What we touch and see isn’t real. But our _feelings?_ They’re real. And our vows will be just as real, even if said in this world. Isn’t that enough?”

“Of course they are. But you _know_ what I mean.”

“I know how you want to wait till we reach the destined planet. You want us to get married there, in the _real world._ But...” Seungyoun’s voice was steady, though he felt otherwise. “But we don’t know _when_ that’ll be. This whole journey through space... It could take forever. What if we never make it there?”

“Don’t say that. The government told us that there really is a planet out there for us.”

“What if it’s a lie? What if there’s nothing out there, and the entire plan was to keep us in here? Alive in this world? In this world that doesn’t really exist?”

“Seungyoun-hyung.”

“What if we’re not even traveling on a course? And we’re all just floating randomly in space?”

“Hyung.”

“What if our bodies aren’t there anymore? What if we’re all actually—”

Seungyoun's words were cut off as Hangyul cupped his face with both hands and kissed him.

That shut him up. Seungyoun closed his eyes, letting Hangyul love him gently, tenderly. He melted into the touch— to the touch of their lips and the touch of Hangyul's hands on his cheeks— and the mess of everything in his mind slowly untangled themselves.

Hangyul pulled back a little before resting his forehead against Seungyoun’s.

“Let’s have more trust in them,” Hangyul said, voice gentle. “The government, the engineers and scientists, the crew of the ship. I’m sure they’d get us there. To whatever planet they have for us. Put trust in them.”

There was a pause. Seungyoun had opened his eyes and he could see how sincere Hangyul looked.

“And put trust in me, hyung.”

Now _that_ surprised Seungyoun. He really had no intention of making Hangyul think that there was any doubt between them. He really didn’t.

It was true that their relationship hadn’t been smooth sailing. In their three years together as a couple, they had hit heavy waves, sometimes even storms, and even a moment where Seungyoun thought they would sink with only the smallest hope of resurfacing.

But they made it past all that. And they had been stronger ever since. They knew each other more and more and he was sure that now, they were fine.

_Even if it did hurt when Hangyul avoided conversations about marriage ever since they woke up in this world._

Yet Seungyoun chased away his own thoughts, because he understood what Hangyul said. He could understand Hangyul’s point of view.

But still...

_Stop,_ Seungyoun scolded himself. _Stop it._

He leaned into the touch, closing his eyes and just feeling the other’s presence.

“Of course, I trust you,” Seungyoun said. “Why wouldn’t I?”

“We just have to be patient.”

“I know. We’ll get married there, on that mysterious planet, witnessed by humanity and aliens.”

That made Hangyul laugh. His laugh as was so warm and lovable that Seungyoun couldn’t help but kiss him again. And that was exactly what he did.

Feeling especially clingy, Seungyoun wrapped his arms around the other’s neck after they had broken the kiss. He swore he could feel Hangyul’s heartbeat against his, and that just caused his own heart to go faster.

“I love you so much, hyung.”

Hangyul was returning the hug, bringing him closer.

Seungyoun trusted him. And he had to trust the world.

“I love you more, Hangyul.”

And yet on the way back home, while Seungyoun held onto Hangyul’s hand while he used his free hand to drive, Seungyoun couldn’t help but feel that something terrible was lurking in the unknown future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This self-prompt story is loosely based on a certain something, but I won't reveal what it is until the next chapter (aka the last chapter). If you figure out where it's from, let's keep it a secret till the end so it won't be a spoiler for others :)
> 
> (even so, it _is_ my interpretation of that certain something, so the story might be different from what you have in mind hehe)
> 
> __
> 
> And sorry, I really did plan on making this a long one-shot but I couldn't finish the whole thing before the deadline ㅠㅠ but I guess this gives time to soak in all the info cuz there's quite a lot of stuff happening?
> 
> ___
> 
> I'd love to hear what you think so feel free to yell at me in the comments! :)


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